Concept: Fleet Commander I (V0.1.3)

After making progress I took some down time to play around with a splash / campaign map. Players will navigate this Map (and a simular Galaxy Map maybe) to move around. The scrolling isometric combat zones are the real time fun part. But all the while maintaining a fluid feel, ie you can zipp around the campaign in your ship and choose which battles you take, with maybe critical ones and extra bonus ones like Mass Effect.


I've jury rigged the combat environment into Isometric, improved coding elements. I got a bunch of hot keys working and a make shift timer. I think I may have to scrap the onEnterFrame idea shifting back to tweens. I aint looked into zoom control and restricting the Isomap movement. I suspect I may need another container MC.

I'll start soon rebuilding the combat engine. This version is a whole bunch of different elements I've had in different files I'm shoving all into one.

Some "working" artwork from itchystudios. He's a professional artist who has like 2 heavily active art blogs one where he keeps saying he's going to make a 'bazzilion' games.

I'm taking inspiration from him and ben olding.

Concept: Scope

I deved a complex combat engine which guffed up and kept each units equally killing each other. So I'm thinking of auto generating random events then applying them if and when with less ranGen() calls as its NOT random.

In so doing I have to lower the complexity scope of the units. Assault/Regular/Heavy units are as implied. With Drones, Corvettes and Frigates available. Atm I'm thinking keep destroyers and cruisers back as possible ships you fight along side or maybe in the second version if I ever actually make the first version.

The tween , turn basedmovement system has been glitchy ever since I put it in. I'm thinking of replacing it with a onenterframe code which can more easily be stopped instantly. I can then maybe use tweens and my previous turnbased combat idea once a unit has stopped standard travel, ie in combat. Enabling timers for reloads and such.

As you maybe able to see I've increased max range to 3000m for the top class weapons. All units can use each others weapons but with a disadvantage. So its possible to have a corvette dragging and full level Distruper but no other weapons. To mix things up, but it will suffer a accuracy penality as the unit will have half the command skill of a frigate.

Cannons (Turrets - direct fire)
5.65mm, 12.mm, 20mm
Plasma Launchers (Missiles- direct fire)
light, medium, heavy
Disrupters (Arilitary- indirect fire)
Flak (ie Grenades), Standard (Mortar), Heavy (Artillery)
Disrupters suffer penality if used on front line.

Basically the set up is heavier units have more higher plasma and Disrupters, but slower firing and less effective against smaller units. Not sure if I am currently over loading units with too many abilities.

AI: I may for the first version have to dum down AI so it does some things but basically sends units towards enemy. If the AI gets in a bit of bother I may need to code some "do clever things" actions to compensate so it doesn't keep loosing units. Hopefuly and use the same AI functions I intend for the user units.

GUI/Gameplay I may set controls on enemy units so that you can choose which unit fires by a short cut set of buttons rather than having to select a unit then go back to the enemy to fire.

Zoom: My uber coded zoom may have been a waste of time alas.

Tesco Rapid Boil Kettle

Given I gave a fairly positive review of tescos hoover its bound there were some dogey stuff in thier imported tech.

It wobbles on its platform.
The spring loaded top sprays water around.
It makes a lot of noise boiling
... and itsn't that rapid.

Positive: It works?

Last kettle we got was from Asda and worked fine. If anything I'm sure we chose against this one last time. Were n't missing much.